I freely confess that I have a love-hate relationship with marketing.
I love branding, great advertising, effective communications. I find it immensely gratifying to sit with a client or partner and distill down their offerings to a core message and strategy. Wonderful stuff. However…
I hate shyster pitches on the radio or TV. Like the services that want to extract money from your well-intentioned but naive wallet so that they can “clean” your PC. I want to throttle those marketers.
But sometimes, there’s grudging admiration. Like when my 7-year old comes to me with a scribbled URL he’s heard on an advertisement, wondering if we need to clean our PC with said “service” provider.
Now our family PC is getting somewhat long in the tooth, and admittedly is a bit slow. It certainly doesn’t need the virtual snake oil these crooks are selling. But the message made sense to a 7-year old. It got through, to the point of him taking action in the only way he could. Advising Dad to visit this website to get a PC cleanup!
They’re not getting my money, of course, but they did teach a valuable lesson. Does my marketing message make sense to a 7-year old? Can people easily repeat back my value proposition? Is my message so clear, so compelling, that those listening know exactly what they’re supposed to do?
If the shysters can effectively get the point across, we who have legitimate offerings need to do them one better. When somebody’s kid recommends you, you know you’ve won…!
What are some of the best, clearest, most memorable “take action” messages you’ve encountered? Share in the comments!
Steve, four quick things:
1. Why does almost evere blogger (you included) end his post with “what do you think? Share with me” which clearly tranlsates into :”don’t let my post sink”. Ok, so I DID reply – but only after an hour of reading blogs (almost all ending with “share with me!” – none replied to), and yours was chosen for the only reason I am shutting down my notebook after this.
2. The more important question you asked was “why do those shysters get their message across to a seven year old, and I don’t”. Because they dont’ think – they act. It’s instincts vs. marketing cerebralization. They are in the first group – you, probably, in the second.
3. I don’t think I could get my message across to a 7-year old either. Because 7year olds don’t usually get hooked by articles in “The Journal of Marketing Science” or similar…
4. I still think you oughtta do something with that computer of yours…
Funny post Steve.
Even funnier is when my 7 year old remarks “that was stupid” after seeing some ad on TV.
So maybe add to your list of points, “Is my marketing message so lame that even a 7 year old won’t be motivated?”
And the reason he finds most stupid, because they don’t make sense. There is no clear point to the spot or a clear call to action.
Funny what our kids can teach us about great marketing.
@TomMartin
@serghei – ha! those phrases are just another way of saying, “is this thing on? Hello? Anybody out there?” I’m glad you stopped here after skipping everyone else!
I think your point about action is right on – the kids see the problem and there’s very little “interference” between that and a corresponding action.
@Tom – nice twist – absolutely right.
So, @sergei what do you think of Tom’s comment? Share with us… :>}
Steve, have you ever wondered how much advertising are targeted at kids? Today, kids are very much part of the decision making team in the weekly trips to the supermarkets.
Whenever I turn on the TV between 3-5pm, 80 percent of the commercials have kids in them which sells all kinds of kid’s stuff – soda, chocolate bars, magazines, toys, magic shows….
the sad thing is some of them are in fact quite interesting to watch when compared to others that sells cars or TVs or furniture. They are dry, childish and what they’re doing is just blasting their messages to you three to four times like YOU CAN’T MISS THE BIGGEST SALE THIS WEEKEND..
A splendid post, Steve.
I believe that if an ad is catchy enough that even a 7 year old child can remember it, then it is an excellent one in my book!
And just to make a point across, I don’t think it’s bad to end a post with the line “What do you think?”
I guess it’s the author’s way of encouraging readers to share their ideas.
In the first place, communication is a *two-way* process, don’t you think?
Love this post, Steve! If not for the post itself, but from the comments that follow.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had the *tap the mic* “is this thing on?” feeling.
It’s a curious predicament that bloggers find themselves in from time-to-time. Is anyone really listening? I see traffic via analytics and back links, but why is no one joining the conversation?
There’s your next post. You have the readership to get people engaged. I think it’s worth asking.
And for the post… My favorite “Take Action” marketing message (lately) HAS to be Cadillac’s “When you turn on your car, does it return the favor?” I want a Caddy CTS SO bad I can feel the plush leather under my buns and I roar through the cornfields and desolate span that is the central Iowa countryside… sigh…
Keep Cooking!
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef
I think we all missed the point. The parent and former educator in me says, “Steve, your son is displaying signs of problem-solving skills!” That’s a good thing! He’s beginning to grow up. Congrats. You must be doing something right.